What is this called? Stepping off curb delay

[Joiedecour]

As you might remember, I am one of the people in limbo... Recently I had things happen identified by my doc's office as a pseudo-flare related to heat exposure, some of this involved leg weakness. But today I was crossing a street with an island in the middle and nearly fell flat on my face because my right foot didn't step off curb. I would call it a kind of locking? What is this? Is it worth reporting in wake of pseudo? If this happens to you does it happen a lot? I don't usually have much occasion to step off and up curbs living in a fairly rural area.
Thanks for any replies, sorry to have been participating less, and I hope everyone is doing ok.

[Joiedecour]

Thanks Jen!! It sounds for me anyways like a very minor version of foot not advancing - nothing like JJ's story (JJ I LOVE your sense of humor btw - I can always visualize what you describe!!). Must be a nuisance to have your hands and feet ALSO go into accelerated mode, Jen. Thanks and take care.

[jensequitur]

Hey, don't feel alone! I have this problem too, and it's simply just a message not getting through to the foot. Sometimes I have to think consciously about moving my feet and hands, and sometimes they move way too quickly - faster than I meant for them to move, and whatever they're holding goes flying across the room.

[Joiedecour]

Thank you, Immi, JJ and Corrie. I think it was possibly a message delay type thing, but the hip flexor weakness is a good possibility too. I do have muscle weakness listed but not sure where to be honest, since it's nothing I really have noticed beyond fatigue issues.

In the past I've had problems which I still get every now and again with my left foot with numbness and tingling, but with right foot I haven't had anything other than this and the occasional catching it on the floor which I've always attributed to rubber soled shoes on a hard floor, and frankly probably that's what it is.

I haven't noticed issues on uneven surfaces, Aspentoo. I prefer walking on grass to carpet, hard floors.

But I will make note. I apppreciate you all sharing ideas. Thank you!

[Corriel]

I can't say that I have had that particular issue. My biggie is that my left foot seems to drag sometimes like I can't lift it high enough as opposed to being stuck.

Like aspentoo, I have weak hip flexors and my left leg is weaker than my right. It might be due to my osteoarthritis though which I have in both hips.

I think it's good you are taking note especially if it happens again.

Sorry I don't have more to offer,

Corrie

[aspen2]

I have hip flexor weakness on on side (and also am rural lol).  I have to really concentrate with curbs and often lift my hip up and swing to accommodate.  Or go sideways.  Or if it's quite high, I have to help as well.

It's tough when before you didn't have to be so mindful of every move.  I have grip issues with my right hand.  My pt told me to watch my hand.  Why it helps I have no idea (although it doesn't work for heavier things like cups of coffee).  I haven't dropped anything for a while, partially because of this and mostly because I use my left hand most of the time now.

So it could be muscle weakness, if that has come up in your neuro exam.  Do you have trouble on uneven ground, by any chance?

[supermum_ms]

I tend to think 'one off situation' doesn't make a pattern, it just may be the circumstances at the time lead to the event, so if your saying that you haven't been experiencing the same freezing gait or absence of movement (technically called Akinesia or freezing gait) at any other time, I wouldn't think it was worth reporting to your neuro just yet.

Personally, it first started happening after my big bang of 09, it happen's more than i care to think about to be honest. I don't need to be stepping off or up though, i can be just trying to walk and the next step doesn't happen and over i go. I often have to lift my leg into the car or over the stoop when i'm fatigued, i just can't get it to voluntarily move sometimes. I haven't mentioned it for awhile now but unstable surfaces continue to confuse my brain, my brain wants me to drop and i'm stuck fighting to stay upright and unable to move my feet to get back on to solid ground.  

Earlier today i was just walking to the bathroom, not at my puppet walking stage but one step didn't happen and my feet stayed planted, lol i ended up bend forward at the waist with my hands on the floor. Mind you, DS who i was talking to at the time i unexpectedly went over was giggling as much as i was, it was a very weird predicament and my unexpected use of his pants to get my self up right again was a hoot. :D

Cheers........JJ    

[immisceo]

That must have been so scary! I don't have a really satisfying answer for this, just didn't want you to think you'd gotten lost in the shuffle!

I suppose I can really only say that it doesn't sound like my experience with foot drop, though I doubt this is a one-experience-fits-all condition. If your foot feels stuck to the curb, my fist thought was an issue somewhere much higher than the foot (again, just my 2-cent guessing). The reason is, when my foot was paralysed, it didn't feel stuck. I just had no sensation of it. I just remember my right thigh burning so much because of the extra lifting it had to do to make up for the loss of my foot's dorsiflexion and for me to maintain the illusion of normal walking instead of the classic flipper 'walk-slap' of steppage gait.

If your foot felt stuck, it seems more like it would be a knee or thigh issue (well, possibly knee, thigh, and/or central nervous system) in the sense of the parts of the leg tasked with picking up the foot weren't doing their job or getting the message.

I would definitely make note of it (I mean that literally in my case. If I don't write it down, it's forgotten!), and try and observe if something similar happens only in heat or with physical exertion, etc. I'm glad this exact situation doesn't come up for you too frequently where you live as I'm certainly not suggesting you wait around to nearly fall head-first into traffic again before mentioning it to you doctor!

(this video may help illustrate some of what I was talking about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c4bGhvK0Qs )